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Survivor's Obligation: Navigating an Intentional Life
Two men share their survival stories and how those experiences transformed the way they live. Their stories will inspire you to make the most of each day!
"... two incredible personal stories of survival ... This book is for anyone traveling the unpredictable path of life." —Lee Woodruff, coauthor of The New York Times bestseller In an Instant
Chris Stricklin ejected from the F-16 he was piloting during a Thunderbirds air show. Joel Neeb was diagnosed with a rare and often fatal cancer. Against the odds, both survived.
Chris and Joel met years after their individual life-changing events and discovered they both had a desire to share their stories to help others. They each resolved to fulfill what they call survivor's obligation—a responsibility to live an intentional life—for themselves and their families, and in honor of those who didn't get a second chance.
In Survivor's Obligation, Chris and Joel tell the true stories that transformed their lives, initiating a journey of healing through gratitude, growth, and giving.
Reflection questions in the back of the book allow readers to find connections in their own lives and inspiration for navigating an intentional life.
"Everyone needs inspiration. Survivor's Obligation delivers!" —Deborah Lee James, 23rd Secretary of the Air Force and author of Aim High
"Chris and Joel teach life-changing messages through their dramatic and powerful stories. Trust me … you need to read this book!" —James C. Hunter, international bestselling author of The Servant
"... two incredible personal stories of survival ... This book is for anyone traveling the unpredictable path of life." —Lee Woodruff, coauthor of The New York Times bestseller In an Instant
Chris Stricklin ejected from the F-16 he was piloting during a Thunderbirds air show. Joel Neeb was diagnosed with a rare and often fatal cancer. Against the odds, both survived.
Chris and Joel met years after their individual life-changing events and discovered they both had a desire to share their stories to help others. They each resolved to fulfill what they call survivor's obligation—a responsibility to live an intentional life—for themselves and their families, and in honor of those who didn't get a second chance.
In Survivor's Obligation, Chris and Joel tell the true stories that transformed their lives, initiating a journey of healing through gratitude, growth, and giving.
Reflection questions in the back of the book allow readers to find connections in their own lives and inspiration for navigating an intentional life.
"Everyone needs inspiration. Survivor's Obligation delivers!" —Deborah Lee James, 23rd Secretary of the Air Force and author of Aim High
"Chris and Joel teach life-changing messages through their dramatic and powerful stories. Trust me … you need to read this book!" —James C. Hunter, international bestselling author of The Servant
128 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 15, 2020
This book contains two stories of survival (fighter jet crash & cancer) and ends up covering a lot of the lessons I've pulled from many of the books I've read for this reading project. Lessons like the importance of time, daily decisions and habits, and training one's unconscious mind.
October 27, 2024
Very powerful.
May 16, 2020
A compelling story, inspiring and incredibly interesting.
The book starts with Chris's gripping story about his life as a member of the elite USAF Thunderbirds. He shares fascinating details which gives the reader a glimpse of life in the cockpit. As someone who's enjoys air travel and, in my 20's, considered obtaining a license to fly after a pilot friend took me on an introductory Piper flight, the descriptions of the views, controls, thoughts, and most importantly decisions Chris had to make during his doomed flight were fascinating. His love of family permeates his story of survival and healing.
After that, I thought Joel's cancer story might be a little boring, but it was not! Who has not felt the sting of cancer, either personally due to our own experience or through the cancer of a loved one. Joel's story was anything but boring, especially the fact that he and his young son , JJ, were in a strangely similar situation. That alone is mind-boggling. Marsha, Joel's wife and JJ's mother is a saint! Surving the cancer diagnosis that Joel got was incredible, perhaps a miracle as he put total trust in God. Perhaps that was a coping technique, perhaps it was true faith, what I found captivating was how far he came and what he was able to accomplish.
The reason for my 4 star review is because the pace of the final section of the book was very slow compared to the first two parts. My TRUE star rating would be 4.5 stars if that was possible. The ideas posed and questions asked were certainly valid, but after the exciting and thought provoking first sections, the last part felt rather flat. That said, this book is a great read and I highly recommend it.
The book starts with Chris's gripping story about his life as a member of the elite USAF Thunderbirds. He shares fascinating details which gives the reader a glimpse of life in the cockpit. As someone who's enjoys air travel and, in my 20's, considered obtaining a license to fly after a pilot friend took me on an introductory Piper flight, the descriptions of the views, controls, thoughts, and most importantly decisions Chris had to make during his doomed flight were fascinating. His love of family permeates his story of survival and healing.
After that, I thought Joel's cancer story might be a little boring, but it was not! Who has not felt the sting of cancer, either personally due to our own experience or through the cancer of a loved one. Joel's story was anything but boring, especially the fact that he and his young son , JJ, were in a strangely similar situation. That alone is mind-boggling. Marsha, Joel's wife and JJ's mother is a saint! Surving the cancer diagnosis that Joel got was incredible, perhaps a miracle as he put total trust in God. Perhaps that was a coping technique, perhaps it was true faith, what I found captivating was how far he came and what he was able to accomplish.
The reason for my 4 star review is because the pace of the final section of the book was very slow compared to the first two parts. My TRUE star rating would be 4.5 stars if that was possible. The ideas posed and questions asked were certainly valid, but after the exciting and thought provoking first sections, the last part felt rather flat. That said, this book is a great read and I highly recommend it.
August 17, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. As an Air Force F-4 WSO with a little time in the F-16, I knew about this accident at the Mt. Home airshow. However, this was the most detailed account of the accident, after action and what happened to Capt. Stricklin. That is partly what drew me to the book, but the mental health aspect of Capt Stricklin's journey was very revealing and helpful to me. The F-15 pilot's story about his -and his Son's- battle against cancer and cautionary tale about military medical care was striking. As someone who has a Daughter, her Air Force husband and three kids under care of the military medical system, it was worrisome at best.
Highly recommend this book. Not a long read, but a true page turner for those with interest in either of these areas: Air Force - especially fighter/Thunderbird ops. And, Military medicine.
Highly recommend this book. Not a long read, but a true page turner for those with interest in either of these areas: Air Force - especially fighter/Thunderbird ops. And, Military medicine.
February 23, 2025
Very quick read. Inspirational story to remind you that every day is a gift.
October 10, 2019
Capturing you from the opening, this book moves along quickly. Ironically, for one of the authors, his incident lasted just over 25 seconds, while for the second, it was drawn out over several weeks. Each situation caused these men to think about their lives differently as they owed a Survivor's Obligation.
October 2, 2019
Touching and insightful.
Obligation and intention applies to so many different things. God has a plan for us all. We should all learn to use life changing events with such grace.
Obligation and intention applies to so many different things. God has a plan for us all. We should all learn to use life changing events with such grace.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews